New Season Of Emmy-Winning Cyberchase Encourages Kids To Get Active With Math

NEW YORK, Nov. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The CyberSquad is back in action on November 9 when all new episodes of the PBS KIDS math series CYBERCHASE premiere on PBS stations across the country. Produced by THIRTEEN, Season 10 takes kids on educational adventures involving math, health, and the environment – from encouraging kids to be active and eat well, to teaching kids about reducing waste and growing gardens. And today, for the first time, two full-length episodes are premiering online and on the PBS KIDS Video app ahead of the on-air premiere.

To extend the season's health theme in communities, THIRTEEN partnered with ChildObesity180 at Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy to develop CYBERCHASE: STEP IT UP, a program that inspires kids and educators to find opportunities to work more steps into their regular day while learning related concepts in math. Across the country, approximately 6,000 children will participate in the program, pursuing a collective goal of adding 30 million extra steps.

"CYBERCHASE brings math to life with adventure, humor and kid-friendly themes," said Sandra Sheppard, Executive Producer of CYBERCHASE and Director of Children's & Educational Media at THIRTEEN. "This season, we're excited to help foster positive and healthy habits in children and to tap into their love for nature."

"Research has linked physical activity in children with physical and emotional benefits as well as positive academic outcomes," said Daniel Hatfield, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow at Tufts University Friedman School. "We collaborated with THIRTEEN with a shared goal of encouraging kids to get up and get moving, and the CYBERCHASE: STEP IT UP program motivates and excites kids to do just that."

New digital content from CYBERCHASE is on the way too. For teachers, CYBERCHASE will make lesson plans, video clips and the CYBERCHASE: STEP IT UP program guide available for free download through PBS LearningMedia, PBS' digital media service for K-12 classrooms. Tips and activities for families will be available on PBS Parents. This spring, a new original web series and game will debut.

Season 10 CYBERCHASE premieres include:

"Fit To Be Heroes" - Monday, November 9th
The CyberSquad and their new friend Scanner embark on a quest to build a new Encryptor Chip for Motherboard and cure her virus. With Hacker in hot pursuit, the kids must run, ski, canoe and climb their way to the end of the mission. 
Topics: Being Active; Data Representation/Tables

"A Recipe for Chaos" - Tuesday, November 10th
The CyberSquad discovers a popular new restaurant in Castleblanca is serving unhealthy food and Hacker is behind it all. To get Hacker to stop making his unhealthy food, Digit challenges him to a cook-off. 
Topics: Healthy Meals; Data Representation/Pie Charts

"A Seedy Business" - Wednesday, November 11th
The citizens of Factoria are back to work but the benefactor of the toy factory is none other than Hacker, and he serves the employees unhealthy meals from vending machines. To get the Factorians out of Hacker's clutches, the CyberSquad must show them how to grow their own food.
Topics: Seed to Table; Area

"Parks and Recreation" - Thursday, November 12th
Kids in glamorous Gollywood have no safe place to play. They discover an empty lot that can be converted to a park, but Hacker wants the lot for his new Gollywood Tower. When the CyberSquad learns Hacker is planning to use the tower to corrupt Motherboard's hard drive, they go up against him at a city council hearing. 
Topics: Built Environments; Data Collection and Representation/Surveys, Tally Marks

"Bottled Up" - Friday, November 13th
Radsters are an active bunch, but they have a big problem: water bottles. Way Cool Arena has been turned into a bottle dump, and the beloved skate park is next! The kids and Slider must find a way to get rid of the heaps of empties and reduce future waste while making sure Radsters stay healthy. 
Topics: Water; Sampling, Multiplication

CYBERCHASE airs Monday-Friday at 4:30PM and Sundays at 11AM on THIRTEEN in New York. Parents can check listings for their local PBS station for broadcast times in their area and can also stream episodes for free anytime on the Cyberchase website or the PBS KIDS Video app.

CYBERCHASE is produced by THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET. Executive producers are Sandra Sheppard, THIRTEEN's Director of Children's & Educational Media, and Ellen Doherty. Producer is Kristin DiQuollo. Funding for CYBERCHASE is provided by The JPB Foundation and Ernst & Young LLP. Additional funding is provided by the Tiger Baron Foundation.

About WNET
As New York's flagship public media provider and the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams and MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms, including the THIRTEEN Explore App where users can stream PBS content for free.

About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, digital platforms and community-based programs. Kidscreen- and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including digital games and streaming video. PBS KIDS also offers mobile apps to help support young children's learning. The PBS KIDS Video App is available on a variety of mobile devices and on platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xbox One and Chromecast. For more information on specific PBS KIDS content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151030/282423

SOURCE WNET